Archaeologists excavating in a 17th-century hospital crypt in Milan, Italy, recovered the skeletons of nine people. Using tools of toxicology, they have now identified “the first archaeological evidence” of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, in human bones from the Modern Age.
The cannabinoids from cannabis, such as tetrahydrocannabinol [THC], one of the psychoactive properties associated with the plant, are stored in various tissues in the body, including hair and bones. A 2013 a study published in the journal “Drug and Alcohol Dependence,” found that THC can be detected in human bones “several weeks” after the last cannabis use. However, the associated detection technologies have changed – a lot – over the last decade.
The exact mechanisms of how cannabinoids are stored in bones, and how long they remain detectable, varies from person to person, and greatly depends on frequency of use, dosage, and individual metabolism. Bones, essentially act like a reservoir for cannabinoids, and their detection can be used in forensic and clinical settings to assess past cannabis use. But now, a team of researchers have identified THC in the 17th century bones of people buried under a hospital in Milan, Italy.
In a new study, Dr. Gaia Giordano at the University of Milan said that she her colleagues excavated and tested the skeletons of nine people from a 17th century crypt at Milan’s Ca’ Granda hospital. The bone samples were powdered, separated and purified, before being liquified and subjected to mass spectrometry, to identify the chemical components.
The results were subsequently analyzed using the tools of toxicology, the study of chemical substances in living organisms including humans. Toxicologists analyze how substances are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, excreted, and their toxic effects. Whether eaten or inhaled, cannabinoids are trapped and preserved after being absorbed into the bloodstream, and they are ultimately stored in bone tissue.
The team identified THC and cannabidiol (CBD) molecules within the thigh bones of a young man and middle-aged woman, who were both buried between 1638 AD and 1697 AD.
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